Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
I close my eyes slowly, overcome with emotion. She knows, and she wants me… she wants us. The slate is wiped clean, but it isn't enough. I could leave the truth here, with her still half in the dark, but it's not fair, and I don't want something tarnished. I want the white sheets and the fresh start. I need to do this one thing right. I need to be honest.
“It wasn't just about Grady's niece,” I say.
Her eyebrows rise.
“Whitaker Evans wasn't new to hurting kids. He was an old hand… an old hand who'd already fucked up James' life fifteen years ago.”
Lory gasps, her hand flying to her mouth as tears fill her eyes. She knew he'd had a hard life. The scars he tried desperately to hide from her were evidence of that. But this is different. I touch her cheek. “Don't cry for him now,” I say. “We got the chance to destroy a monster, and we took it. I don't regret it. He was a worthless, terrible human being, and James needed to take revenge to hold on to his sanity. And we met you in the process.” She closes her eyes, leaning into the warmth of my palm. “If there was ever a silver lining in the world, Lory, it's you.”
She blinks, and her shoulders hitch. Then she kisses the center of my palm, and all the pent-up anxiousness about losing her leaves me.
“You're sure about coming?” I have to check one more time. I need to get back on track before they start looking for me. “Because if you are, we need to go.”
“Yes. Of course.” She continues packing like there's no more to say about it. She's made up her mind.
“We have to stop somewhere on the outskirts of town,” I say through a throat that's tight with emotion. “You have another duffle?”
“Yeah.” She takes a worn bag from the closet and tosses it to me. “You hungry?”
Her voice still sounds tight but with emotion rather than fear. She's still thinking about James and what happened to him.
“Bring whatever snacks you have.”
In less than ten minutes, with Lory now dressed in jeans and a black hooded jacket, we jog down the stairs. Out front, she unlocks an old gold, Corolla. Her brother's friend knows his stuff. These cars go on forever, and they're perfectly anonymous.
“You want to drive?” She holds out the keys.
“Better if you do,” I say. “I'll tell you where to go.”
Sleep-deprived and wired from nerves, we head out of town with the soft sounds of a country music station playing and the windows down. The air is cool, but the wind in my hair is a refreshing burst of freedom. I stare at Lory, overwhelmed by the way she looks in normal clothes, with her hair tied into a messy, tangled bun on the top of her head. She's wearing small round silver earrings now. They're plain and simple, and she deserves so much more.
I provide directions and avoid answering questions that won't serve either of us for her to know.
“If we're pulled over by the cops, I want you to tell them that I carjacked you, okay?”
“NO!” she says immediately, her horror causing her to take her eyes off the road. “Why?”
“Because I'm not risking you ending up in a place like that, Lory. You tell them that, okay, or I'll find another way to leave town.”
“Okay,” she agrees, but her knuckles are bone-colored where she's gripping the wheel so tightly. I know in my heart that she'd never throw me under the bus. Lory's loyal. She sold her body for her sister. She knows the depths of what I'm capable of and still wants to focus on the good. She'd do anything for the people she loves, and it's something I deeply respect about her.
When we reach the edge of the field, I tell her to pull over.
“Stay in the car,” I instruct, looking around to ensure the coast is clear before grabbing the empty bag.
The last time I walked across this rough ground, I had a gut instinct that shit was about to go sour. My supplier had been acting shady, and I'd felt the tingling sensation of eyes on me as I moved around the city. It was a risk to come here, but I slipped around town, changing my jacket and adding a hat and glasses to change my appearance. I buried a metal box beneath the tree and hid the small spade I used to dig in a high hollow of another tree.
That's where I head first, finding it rusted but in working order. Time has passed, and it's not the only thing that has changed over the years. I stand in front of the ground that could hold my future, years older and wiser. If the box has been discovered, it won't end my chance of a successful escape, but it'll make it more difficult.